Stage appliance



G. P. SMITH. STAGE APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION HL'ED mm: 28. 1919.

, Patented Feb. 10,1920;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- M/z/EN TOR @607 c e362 1? Sham (a. P'. SMITH.

STAGE APBLIANCE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2B. 1919.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI 2.

. INVENTOR 53 aw aeuz sm272' ATTORNEY STA GARFIELD r. smrrn, or PROVINCETOWN', massaon usnrrs.

- ,s'raen APPLIANCE.

To all "whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GARFIELD PERRY SM T a citizen, ofthe UnitedStates, residing at Provincetow n, 'in'fth'e county of Barnstable and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Stage Appliances, of which the following is a specification. p

The invention relates to an. improvement in stage appliances, and particularly to an apparatus for instructing the public in the operation and manner of discharging torpedoes, mines and other objects from submarine boats, and demonstrating the possibility of escape from a submerged craft in the event of the failure of the resources commonly employed onthis class of boats for giving them suilicient buoyancy to bring them to the' surface. hile various constructions of minute details are omitted, the details of the actual operation of discharging a torpedo or other object from a boat is portrayed, ll} of course, being understood that such details are omitted for simplifying the illustration and that various modifications are incorporated in order to show, in

the simplest manner, the actual operation of such apparatus. 1

In carrying out my invention, I purpose to install a tank adapted to contain a quantity of water, and to connect to the tank a cylindrical tube to simulate a torpedo tube, and I tion, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure l, is a face view of the apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is a transverse section of the same drawn on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away. Fig. 3, is'a transverse section drawn on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a detail of construction.

In the drawings I do not purpose to dwell upon the details of construction of the tank employed in my apparatus, nor upon the details of filling and drawing of? the water from the tank since such details are obviously well known and understood by those 7 Specification of Letters Patent; Patented Fl). 10, 1920-" Application filedllui eflii, 1919. serial No.f3 7,327 1 conversant in the'ar't of'stage appliances wherein tanks are "employed' for' various aquatic"demonstrations. p 1 designates atankhaving a-gl'a'ss' front 2, and at one end of'the'tankjl there, is pr'ojected, what 'mightbe called, theouter end of a cylindrical tube 3, the said tube having a cover t associated with the outer end there of and a co'ver'6 forclosing the inner end thereof. The cover l'is operated from the exterior of the-tank by means of a shaft 5 and suitably mounted gears 6, simulating those. of; the construction of a ship: The innerend of the tube, or what is commonly referred to as thefinboardend isiprovide'd with a cover G, adapte'd to beclosed water ti ht upon the inner 'endof the tube when the opposite end is open, whereby to permit the discharge of an object fromithejtube' as will be hereinafter described. r

Any-suitable'means maybe em loyed'fo'r closing the outer coverofthe tu e air and water tight so as to prevent escape of water from the tank and from the tube whenthe latter is being loaded- In practice I purpose to arrange glass panels 7 in the sidesof the tube 3 so as to permit the audience to observe'the actual operation of the expulsion of an object from the tube.

I have not attempted to go into minor details of the construction of my appliance as I acknowledge that. various details may be' installed without departing from the broad idea of my invention and therefore have not considered it incumbent to dwell in detail on the construction of parts as may readily present themselves toa mechanic of ordinary skill.

9 designates an air inlet pipe extending from a suitable source of compressed air supply (notshown) located in convenient relation to the tube, the saidpipe having a valve 10 for controlling the admission of air to the tube to expel-the torpedo or other object demonstrating the invention.

It will of course be appreciated. that the air under pressure from the source of supply will be equal to that only of the external pressure exerted by the water in the tank, so that, when air is admitted into the inner end of the tube the expulsive force will be sufficient only to drivethe contents of the tube out into the tank without damage thereto. It will be further understood that while my invention is designed to educate the public in the operation of the expulsion I of a torpedo, a mine, or other object from a submerged vessel it also is intended -to educate the public toward the possibilities of safety of the crew of a boat.

I do not claim broadly the idea of a'portable water tank adapted for stage appli-' ances sinceI am fully aware that such devices have heretofore been employed but 1 what I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

I 1. In a stage appliance,.a water containing tank provided with a, transparent front, a tube connected with and extendinginto the tank through one end thereof, covers for the ends of the tube for closingv the ends airand water-tight, means operablefrom without the tank for opening and closing said covers, and means. for conducting an expelling medium to the inner end of the tube when the outer cover is open whereby to 7 force the object from the tube into the water of the tank. V I r e 2. A stage appliance, a tank having a transparent front, a tube opening through one end of the tank and having an lnner and an outer Water-tight closure for the respeotive ends thereof, means operable from the exterior of thetank for controlling the position of said outer cover and means for admitting air under pressure to the inner end of the tube when the said outer cover is open.

3. A stage appliance, a water tank having a transparent front, a tube connected watertight to one end of said tank. below the water a";

line thereof, a cover for the outer end of said tube, means operable fromthe exterior of V the tank for controlling the position of said cover, a'oover for the opposite endoftube,

means for sealing the cover tosaid end ofsaid tube, and means for admitting air under pressure to the inner end of the tube, substantlally as and for the purposespeoified.

holding tank having a transparent front,

4. A stage appliance, comprising a water a tube having its outer end opening through one end thereof and connectedwater-tight thereto, sald tube having transparent panels arranged thereln, closures for the lnner and outer ends of said tube, means operable from the exterior of the tank for controlling V the position of the outer cover of thetube,

GARFIELD P. SMITH.

WVitnesses I PERCY GnB. GILKEs, JOHN A. LEAVENS. 

